ONE of the Philippines’s major languages is now recognized by Word Lens, the augmented reality translation feature of Google Translate.
Cebuano is among the newly expanded 88 source languages that can now be translated to over 100 languages using World Lens. The instant camera translation feature of the Google Translate app works by aiming the device’s camera at a text, whether a street sign or a restaurant menu, then World Lens instantly overlays the desired translation on the screen.
Google Philippines Marketing Head Gabby Roxas said the company translates more than 140 billion words every day, with 1 billion estimated active users monthly around the world. He added that the service is mostly used by travelers who want to navigate their way around a foreign country.
Aside from the source language expansion, Google Translate has been updated with better translation quality through AI. Neural Machine Translation technology is now built into instant camera translations, producing more accurate and natural translations with 55 percent to 85 percent error reduction in certain language pairs. The update also allows translation pairs outside the English language. Translations can now be from Cebuano to Japanese, Marathi to Thai, or Greek to Vietnamese, among others.
The addition of Cebuano to Word Lens, Roxas said, is part of Google’s efforts to honor the Filipino language at the conclusion of the celebration of National Language Month, or Buwan ng Wika, in August.
Part of Google’s initiatives was the addition of some of the Philippines’s unique indigenous writing systems on Gboard, a keyboard app in messaging applications and devices that let users type with more speed and accuracy. Among the added writing systems are Buhid, Hanunuo, Tagbanwa and Baybayin.
“At Google, we are committed to helping preserve the country’s local languages and scripts through relevant technology,” Roxas said. “It is important that we try to continue using indigenous languages to keep them alive. Today, where typing on our smartphones is a common behavior, making more native scripts available on Gboard will play a vital role in helping preserve them.”
Gboard and Google Translate are available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store.